The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-09-14
JESSE POMEROY.
A Notorious Boy Murderer Attempti
to EScapc.

A Notorious Boy Murderer Attempti
to Escape.
A Boston dispatch says that Jesse Pomeroy.
the most notorious prisoner in the Stat
prison, has made another attempt to escape.
Pomeroy is the boy fend who tor.
tured to death two or three children
about a dozen years ago, and who
at the age of sixteen years, wa.
sentenced to be hanged. Governor CASTOR
commuted the sentence to life Imprisonment
in solitary cell. Pomeroy has been detect.
ed in half dozen plans for escaping. and he
has always required the closest watching. He
is abnormally cunning-a model convict
in outward behavior, but keenly obseryant
and tireless i'll plotting to gain his liberty.
Before the reconstruction of the prison and
its extension Pomeroy occupied a cell in
the upper arch. The wing was extended
arch. Adjoining this new wing are
several specially strong cells. On
either side of these cells are grated
bars, allowing full view of the narrow quar-
ters from both sides, and the guard as he
makes the rounds can be continually in sight
of the inmates. Directly over the arch is the
hospital, and it is thought that from this place
came the assistance which so nearly gave the
murderer his liberty.
In his regular round the guard while lean
ing against the window felt two of the iron
bars give way to the pressure of his hand,
and moment later they fell to the ground.
The guard discovered that two other bars
had been worked upon, and that O
few minutes labor would have rendered
them as useless as the broken ones
Hastily summoning the officials, another in
.spection was made the broken and damaged
bars were replaced with new ones, and tour
of the cells was begun. By instinct they made
for Pomeroy's cell At a glance the two
massive iron gratings seemed impregnable,
but closer scrutiny showed that enough bars
body of man had been cut through, but so
fastened by means of cement that even the
heavy changing of the door did not shake
them. Where the cement was concealed has
not yet been ascertained Pomeroy was
taken to safer quarters and searched, but
nothing was found on bis person save
two slender saws. He refused to
disclose who, furnished them. where
the cement had been obtained, or now long
the work had been going on. It is said, how
ever, that he said enough to leave the infer
ence that the time for escape had been def
nitcly fixed, and that a conveyance would be
in waiting to take him to place of safety.
Since Pomeroy's sentence h, has been in
solitary confinement, save for an occasional
hours outing with the Warden. When not
otherwise employed he has been busy with
pouring over books, and has the repu-
tation of being a close student. Indeed,
he has already mastered Latin and
Greek, and can converse with some
fuency in French and German. His first at
tempt to escape was made some nine years
ago. Then Pomeroy spent his leisure moments
in loosening rock that formed part Of the
centre wall of the prison and the wall of his
cell. For years evidently he had been at work
on that rock, and had finally succeeded
in separating it from the surrounding wall.
To get it out of the way was the next ques-
ton, and, thoughtless Of the consequence, he
forced it outward slowly, until one day the
guard, looking down the massive wall, saw
the projecting rock and made an investiga-
tion. Pomeroy was then taken to stronger
cell